Visit and Presentations at Qinetiq Boscombe Down
The Aerospace Network recently organised a tour of the test and evaluation facilities at Qinetiq, Boscombe Down, followed by an evening lecture programme. Tour of Test and Evaluation Facilities After the usual safety briefing, we were welcomed formally by Paul Cheetham (Head of Engineering Governance) who showed a short video about the history and structure of Qinetiq followed by a briefing. I summarise below some points that I gleaned from the briefing. Qinetiq operates Boscombe Down and its facilities on behalf of MOD with about 1600 staff on site – roughly one-third of the UK Qinetiq staffing. RAF staff are also at Boscombe for their operational knowledge and as part of the “Empire Test Pilot School”, one of three such facilities in the world. The others are in the USA and France. The ETPS…